United States National security adviser Mike Waltz, who added journalist on Signal chat about Houthis, will be leaving his post in the White House, as per multiple reports. His deputy, Alex Wong, will also leave the post. It is not yet clear if US President Donald Trump has fired the duo or if they have resigned from their posts. The White House has not issued an official statement yet.
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Waltz became the centre of controversy in Trump’s cabinet after he mistakenly added The Atlantic’s Jeffrey Goldberg in a Signal chat where top security officials discussed plans for a military strike on Houthi targets in Yemen. Based on the details from the Signal chat group, Goldberg published a comprehensive report. Waltz had then taken “full responsibility” for the ’embarrassing’ mistake.
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Trump defended Mike Waltz
While Mike Waltz only lasted 102 days in his post, Trump had previously defended him after the ‘Signal Gate’ incident. Trump signalled his support for Waltz by calling him “a good man” who “learned a lesson.” The President further stated that the outcome of the March 15 airstrikes, which he called “perfectly successful,” was not affected at all following the inclusion of journalist Jeffrey Goldberg in a Signal group. The group also included Vice President JD Vance, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio. He pointed out that it was the “only glitch in two months” following his presidency, “and it turned out not to be a serious one.”
Read More | US chat leak row: US President defends NSA, says no need for Waltz to apologize
White House on ‘Signal Gate’
Karoline Leavitt, the press secretary for the White House, said, “Jeffrey Goldberg is well-known for his sensationalist spin.” Taking to X, she even shared three “facts about his latest story”. She also noted that no “war plans” were discussed or secret data was sent to the thread.
Mike Waltz departure marks the first major exit from White House in Trump’s second term. Notably, Waltz survived more than former NSA Michael Flynn who served in Trump’s first term only for 24 days. He resigned after information surfaced that he had misled Vice President Mike Pence and others about the nature and content of his communications with Kislyak.
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